Version 1
: Received: 30 October 2024 / Approved: 31 October 2024 / Online: 2 November 2024 (03:48:49 CET)
How to cite:
Baaloudj, O.; Scrano, L.; Bufo, S.; Modley, L.-A. S.; Lelario, F.; Zizzamia, A. R.; Emanuele, L.; Brienza, M. Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicity and Remediation of Heterocyclic Pharmaceuticals as Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Long-Term Risks and Impacts. Preprints2024, 2024102605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2605.v1
Baaloudj, O.; Scrano, L.; Bufo, S.; Modley, L.-A. S.; Lelario, F.; Zizzamia, A. R.; Emanuele, L.; Brienza, M. Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicity and Remediation of Heterocyclic Pharmaceuticals as Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Long-Term Risks and Impacts. Preprints 2024, 2024102605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2605.v1
Baaloudj, O.; Scrano, L.; Bufo, S.; Modley, L.-A. S.; Lelario, F.; Zizzamia, A. R.; Emanuele, L.; Brienza, M. Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicity and Remediation of Heterocyclic Pharmaceuticals as Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Long-Term Risks and Impacts. Preprints2024, 2024102605. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2605.v1
APA Style
Baaloudj, O., Scrano, L., Bufo, S., Modley, L. A. S., Lelario, F., Zizzamia, A. R., Emanuele, L., & Brienza, M. (2024). Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicity and Remediation of Heterocyclic Pharmaceuticals as Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Long-Term Risks and Impacts. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2605.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Baaloudj, O., Lucia Emanuele and Monica Brienza. 2024 "Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicity and Remediation of Heterocyclic Pharmaceuticals as Emerging Contaminants: A Review of Long-Term Risks and Impacts" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2605.v1
Abstract
Heterocyclic pharmaceuticals are emerging contaminants due to their toxic, carcinogenic nature and detrimental impact on the natural ecosystem. These compounds pose a significant environmental concern given their widespread use in medical therapy, constituting over 90% of new medications. Their unique chemical structure contributes to their persistence in various environmental matrices, necessitating urgent measures to mitigate their risks. This review comprehensively examines the sources, environmental fate, toxicity, and long-term risks associated with heterocyclic pharmaceuticals, proposing potential remediation strategies. The article commences with an overview of the diverse types of heterocyclic pharmaceuticals and their applications, focusing on compounds containing heteroatoms such as nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Subsequently, it explores the sources and pathways through which these pollutants enter the environment, including wastewater discharge, agricultural runoff, improper disposal, resistance to biodegradation, and bioaccumulation. The toxic effects and long-term consequences of exposure to heterocyclic pharmaceuticals are then discussed, encompassing neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, mutagenesis, cardiovascular and metabolic toxicity, carcinogenicity, and teratogenesis. Additionally, the review summarizes various remediation strategies and treatment solutions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of these compounds, drawing insights from the literature. The research concludes by identifying critical areas for future research, emphasizing the urgent need for more effective remediation strategies to address the growing concern posed by these emerging contaminants.
Keywords
heterocyclic compounds; pharmaceuticals; risk assessment; environmental threat; remediation; water recovery
Subject
Chemistry and Materials Science, Organic Chemistry
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
